I got on a plane the other day to fly back home, and I actually checked in late specifically so that I would have more options for people to sit down next to. Tip: If you want to meet people on a self-seating airplane, check in late. Then when you’re walking through the aisle and only middle seats are available, just look for a row with a cute girl. For some reason there’s always a cute girl who hasn’t been sat down next to. When I finally got on the plane there were only middle seats, so I sat down in between a cute girl my age and an older woman. I mentioned that my favorite kind of seat is the one that’s available, and how now I was the connector between these two people, bringing them together in a way they wouldn’t have otherwise. Immediately, the three of us are now talking and joking, and the plane hasn’t even taken off yet. Perfect. Everyone else is jealous they aren’t sitting next to people this awesome.

I start talking with the girl my age, and it turns out she also goes to my school. We talk about school, life, music, and a variety of other fun little things. It’s an hour and 20 minute flight, and we’re chatting the entire time. Of course, it turns out she’s flying to see her boyfriend, and she isn’t really my kind of person anyway, so it’s no great loss. Still, after all that I’m not going to let her get away. As the plane lands she pulls out her phone. I take it from her and start punching my number into it, then call my phone. Her name is Ali so I call her Prince Ali and make some Aladdin jokes, and now we’re laughing about Aladdin on the walk out.

Two days later, I'm on my round-trip flight back to LA. Just like before I sat down next to a cute girl on the window seat. It’s always a good idea to chat with both people on either side of you, just get to know them a little bit and make the row a family. For example, turns out the guy on the other side of me is an alum from my school, so we got to chat about that for a little while. Then as we’re taking off I look out the window and remark “Wow, you can actually see all the mountains. Back in LA the smog is so thick you can’t see anything at this distance.” This launches us into a conversation about cities, travel, experiences, school, and we’re actually having a really great time! The last girl I met on a plane was very clearly not someone I would say I had any particular connection with, this time we’re having a genuine conversation…too bad she lives across the country and this is only a connecting flight. Well, shit. The thought of mile-high club entered my mind, but this is an hour long plane flight we’re talking about. I don’t know if I can work that fast. We chatted eagerly from runway to runway, and then she took off to get on her next plane. A phone number seemed impractical in this scenario, so we swapped facebook info and said goodbye.

As I’m waiting for a cab, the guy who was on the other side of me passes by. “Did you get her number?” he asks. I smile, and sure, facebook isn’t really a phone number, but I tell him yes. For now I think that counts.